Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Stain
Stain
(stān)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Stained
(stānd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Staining
.] [Abbrev. fr.
distain
.] 1.
To discolor by the application of foreign matter; to make foul; to spot;
as, to
. stain
the hand with dye; armor stained
with blood2.
To color, as wood, glass, paper, cloth, or the like, by processes affecting, chemically or otherwise, the material itself; to tinge with a color or colors combining with, or penetrating, the substance; to dye;
as, to
. stain
wood with acids, colored washes, paint rubbed in, etc.; to stain
glass3.
To spot with guilt or infamy; to bring reproach on; to blot; to soil; to tarnish.
Of honor void,
Of innocence, of faith, of purity,
Our wonted ornaments now soiled and
Of innocence, of faith, of purity,
Our wonted ornaments now soiled and
stained
. Milton.
4.
To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison.
She
stains
the ripest virgins of her age. Beau. & Fl.
That did all other beasts in beauty
stain
. Spenser.
Stained glass
, glass colored or stained by certain metallic pigments fused into its substance, – often used for making ornamental windows.
Syn. – To paint; dye; blot; soil; sully; discolor; disgrace; taint.
– Paint
, Stain
, Dye
. These denote three different processes; the first mechanical, the other two, chiefly chemical. To paint a thing is to spread a coat of coloring matter over it; to stain or dye a thing is to impart color to its substance. To stain is said chiefly of solids, as wood, glass, paper; to dye, of fibrous substances, textile fabrics, etc.; the one, commonly, a simple process, as applying a wash; the other more complex, as fixing colors by mordants. Stain
,Verb.
I.
To give or receive a stain; to grow dim.
Stain
,Noun.
1.
A discoloration by foreign matter; a spot;
as, a
. stain
on a garment or clothShak.
2.
A natural spot of a color different from the gound.
Swift trouts, diversified with crimson
stains
. Pope.
3.
Taint of guilt; tarnish; disgrace; reproach.
Nor death itself can wholly wash their
stains
. Dryden.
Our opinion . . . is, I trust, without any blemish or
stain
of heresy. Hooker.
4.
Cause of reproach; shame.
Sir P. Sidney.
5.
A tincture; a tinge.
[R.]
You have some
stain
of soldier in you. Shakespeare
Syn. – Blot; spot; taint; pollution; blemish; tarnish; color; disgrace; infamy; shame.
Webster 1828 Edition
Stain
STAIN
,Verb.
T.
1.
To discolor by the application of foreign matter; to make foul; to spot; as, to stain the hand with dye; to stain clothes with vegetable juice; to stain paper; armor stained with blood.2.
To dye; to tinge with a different color; as, to stain cloth.3.
To impress with figures, in colors different from the ground; as, to stain paper for hangings.4.
To blot; to soil; to spot with guilt or infamy; to tarnish; to bring reproach on; as, to stain the character.Of honor void, of innocence, of faith, of purity, our wonted ornaments now soild and staind.
STAIN
,Noun.
1.
A spot; discoloration from foreign matter; as a stain on a garment or cloth.2.
A natural spot of a color different from the ground.Swift trouts, diversified with crimson stains.
3.
Taint of guilt; tarnish; disgrace; reproach; as the stain of sin.Nor death itself can wholly wash their stains.
Our opinion is, I hope, without any blemish or stain of heresy.
4.
Cause of reproach; shame.Hereby I will lead her that is the praise and yet the stain of all womankind.